LEXIVON V14 Camping Hatchet Review
I tested the LEXIVON V14 camping hatchet on real branches and bush. Here's how the one-strike splits, fiberglass handle, and locking sheath held up.
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Quick Verdict
One swift move and a branch was done. The LEXIVON V14 camping hatchet gives you the power without the weight, and the locking sheath that mounts on a wall nail is the feature I keep coming back to. At 14 inches it’s small enough to grab and go, sharp enough out of the box, and it beat the machetes I’d been hacking bush with.
Buy if you:
- Clear branches and bush around your property and want it done in minutes
- Camp or hike and need a light hatchet to clip on your bag
- Want something sharp straight out of the box with no prep
- Like the idea of mounting it on a wall nail in your shed
Skip if you:
- Need to chop down whole trees, this is a 14-inch hatchet, not a felling axe
- Want a wooden-handle heirloom axe, this one’s fiberglass composite
- Already own a full-size splitting maul for heavy firewood rounds
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This Camping Hatchet Cut Right Through
One swift move and the branch was done. I wasn’t expecting that. I’d been hacking at the bush around my property with machetes for ages, and the first time I swung the LEXIVON V14 into a branch, it cut right through, no struggle, no second swing. I’ve been hacking at the bush around my property with machetes for ages, and the first time I swung this thing into a branch I kind of laughed. Right through. You can check today’s price on Amazon here.
I’ll say upfront, I don’t axe around all day long. But when I do need to clear a little bush, this is going to be a lot better than what I was using. That’s the whole story of this camping hatchet for me. Power without the weight.
What You Get Out Of The Box
Sharp out of the box, no prep needed, you unbox it and it’s ready to cut. No sharpening, no prep, you unbox it and it’s ready. The handle is a fiberglass composite with a rubber-feeling TPR grip, and there’s a little hole in the bottom of the handle so you can hang it upside down or right side up.
It came with two things I love. A blade edge guard that slips over the cutting edge, and a protective carrying sheath. You drop the hatchet in and lock it into place, and that thing is not going anywhere.
Branches Didn’t Stand A Chance
One swing, one branch done, that’s the power I kept testing. That’s the test that sold me. I wasn’t chopping down trees or anything massive, but for the kind of branches I deal with around here, oh my goodness. One swift move and it was done. Right through. Right through.
The thing I kept noticing is the weight, or the lack of it. The balance sits high near the head, so the swing does the work, I wasn’t muscling through anything. I cleared a full section of overgrown bush in a few minutes without my arm burning out the way it does after ten minutes of machete work. That’s the difference.
The balance sits close to the head, and you feel it in the swing. That’s where the speed comes from. For someone who’d been swinging machetes at bush, this felt like cheating in the best way.
It’s A Hatchet, Not A Tree-Feller
At 14 inches, this is built for branches and kindling, not thick trunks or logs. That’s the one limit worth saying out loud. At 14 inches this is a grab-and-go camping hatchet built for branches, kindling and bush clearing, not for taking down a thick trunk. The moment I said “I’m not going to be chopping things like that,” I meant the heavy stuff. If you go in expecting a full splitting maul, you’ll be swinging at logs that are too big for the head and getting frustrated.
Know what it is and it’s great. Ask it to be a felling axe and you bought the wrong tool. For branches and the firewood-prep stuff most campers actually do, it’s right in its lane.
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LEXIVON V14 Camping Hatchet
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The Sheath Is The Sleeper Feature
Lock the hatchet in, hang the sheath on a shed wall nail, unlock and grab, that’s the setup I keep using. You drop the hatchet in, lock it into place, and it’s not going anywhere. I’d probably keep mine in the shed with a nice little nail on the wall, sheath hanging there, hatchet locked in. Boom. It’s on the wall. Then you just unlock it and grab and go.
For a camper or someone in the bush, that’s the win. You can have this in your bag or attached to your bag very easily and have it at the ready. The sheath has its own handle too, so carrying it around is simple. Sharp blade fully covered, locked, mounted or bagged. That’s a really cool feature for me.
Who This Camping Hatchet Is For
If you clear bush and branches around your property, this beats machetes and saves swings. I’m exactly that person, plenty of growth around my property and a lot of folks nearby dealing with the same thing. I switched off machetes for this and didn’t look back.
Campers and hikers are the obvious fit. It’s light, it clips to a bag, and it splits kindling and firewood without making you work for it. Anyone setting up bonfires or doing garden work gets the same value. If you want a small, sharp, grab-and-go hatchet that lives on a shed wall between jobs, this is your tool.
A Couple Of Tips Before You Swing
Don’t muscle it, the balance sits up near the head, so drop the swing in and let the weight carry through. That’s the whole trick. The balance sits up near the head, so you don’t need to muscle it. Drop the swing in and let the weight carry through. You’ll wear yourself out fast if you treat it like a sledgehammer.
Take the blade edge guard off before you use it, then snap it back on the second you’re done. The blade comes seriously sharp out of the box. And pick your wall nail spot in the shed early, because once you’ve hung that locking sheath up, the grab-and-go habit sticks.
Pros
- Cut through branches in one swing, power without the weight
- Comes very sharp out of the box, zero prep needed
- Locking sheath holds the hatchet solid and mounts on a wall nail
- Light 14-inch build that clips to a bag for camping and hiking
- Rubber TPR handle feels great in the hand, easy to maneuver
Cons
- Too small for chopping big logs or felling trees
- Fiberglass composite handle won’t appeal to wooden-axe purists
- Sharp edge out of the box means you need to respect that guard
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the LEXIVON V14 camping hatchet come with a sheath?
Yes. It ships with a protective carrying sheath plus a separate blade edge guard. The sheath locks the hatchet into place so it doesn’t move, and it has its own handle for carrying.
Is the handle wood or fiberglass?
It’s a reinforced fiberglass composite handle with a rubber TPR grip, not wood. LEXIVON’s pitch is that it’s stronger than a wooden shaft and won’t bend like steel. In hand it feels solid and grippy.
Can it split firewood, or just branches?
It handles firewood, kindling and branches well. The aggressive blade angle is built for one-strike splits on smaller wood. For big rounds or thick logs you’d want a full splitting axe, but for camp firewood prep it’s right in its element.
How heavy is it to carry on a hike?
Light enough that I kept noticing how little I was lifting. At 14 inches it’s easy to maneuver and clips onto a backpack without weighing you down. That’s the main reason it suits campers and hikers over a full-size axe.
Do I need to sharpen it before first use?
No. It came very sharp out of the box and cut through branches on the first swing. Just pull off the blade edge guard and you’re ready to go.
Can I mount it on a wall for storage?
Yes, and it’s one of my favorite touches. Lock the hatchet into its sheath and hang the sheath on a nail in your shed or garage. Then you just unlock and grab it when you need it.
Is it better than a machete for clearing brush?
For my use, yes. I’d been clearing bush with machetes and this got through branches faster with less effort. A machete still wins for soft, leafy growth, but for woody branches the hatchet does the work for you.
What’s the LX-V14 good for besides camping?
Garden work, brush clearing around the property, prepping wood for bonfires, and general yard cleanup. Anywhere you’d reach for a small hatchet to chop branches or kindling, it fits.
Will the handle hold up to heavy impact?
The handle has a reinforced back spine built to take impact, and the blade is over-molded onto the handle. I didn’t push it to destruction, but the fiberglass construction is designed to resist bending and the head felt locked in solid through every swing.
The LEXIVON V14 is the hatchet I wish I’d bought before wasting years on machetes. Sharp out of the box, light enough to clip to a bag, and that locking wall-mount sheath means it’s always exactly where you left it. If you clear brush, camp, or prep firewood, just get it.
Get it now
LEXIVON V14 Camping Hatchet
Get the best price on Amazon →This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
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